Chapter 405: Dream chaser

Chapter 405: Dream chaser

“We can’t just leave her here,” Noah said, looking down at Kaia who was still slumped against the wall, favoring her left side where debris had clearly done some damage.

Sophie nodded in agreement. “She’s injured, and this place isn’t safe anymore. Whatever happened here, it could happen again.”

Lucas crouched down beside Kaia, his expression softening with genuine concern. “Can you walk? We need to get you medical attention.”

“I can manage,” Kaia replied, though her voice was strained. “But I appreciate the help. After everything my father did… you don’t owe me anything.”

“Your father’s choices aren’t yours,” Diana said simply. “And right now, you’re a victim of the same people who attacked us.”

Kelvin was already scanning the destroyed facility with his technopathic abilities, his green eyes taking on that distant look that meant he was interfacing with whatever systems were still functional. “Most of the security feeds are fried, but I’m pulling what data I can from the backup servers. Might give us some useful intel on who did this.”

They helped Kaia to the transport, Noah supporting her injured side while Sophie gathered what few personal belongings had survived the attack. The flight back to the palace was quiet, each of them processing the implications of what they’d discovered. If Vex hadn’t orchestrated the beast horde, then someone else had—someone with the resources and coordination to launch simultaneous attacks across multiple targets.

The palace medical wing was busier than usual, treating injuries from the previous day’s battle, but they managed to get Kaia seen by one of the healers. While she was being examined, the team made their way to the command center where Lucy was coordinating the ongoing crisis response.

They found her standing before a massive holographic display showing casualty reports, infrastructure damage assessments, and deployment patterns for the ongoing search efforts. Her shoulders carried the weight of three planets’ worth of responsibility, and it showed in every line of her posture.

“How bad is it?” Lucas asked as they approached.

Lucy didn’t turn around immediately, her attention focused on a series of reports scrolling past her field of view. “Bad news first or good news first?”

“Bad news,” Sophie said. “Always get the worst out of the way.”

“Civilian casualties from the beast horde are higher than we initially thought. Forty-three confirmed dead, over two hundred injured. Three settlements took significant structural damage, and the economic impact…” Lucy finally turned to face them, and they could see the exhaustion in her eyes. “Let’s just say we’re looking at months of reconstruction.”

She gestured to another section of the display. “The good news is that our military response was more effective than expected. We eliminated roughly seventy percent of the horde, and the remainder scattered back into the wilderness. Our soldiers performed admirably, and the orbital defenses are back to full operational status.”

“What about the investigation into the palace attack?” Lyra asked.

“That’s where things get complicated.” Lucy’s expression grew darker. “We’ve identified the entry point—a service tunnel that connects to the main water processing facility. It should have been sealed and monitored, but somehow the security systems were bypassed without triggering any alarms.”

Noah frowned. “Inside job?”

“That’s what we’re trying to determine. But questioning the entire palace staff while managing a planetary crisis…” Lucy shook her head. “It’s not exactly ideal timing.”

Their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of two familiar figures. Prince Matthias and Princess Evangeline Sterling entered the command center with the kind of formal bearing that suggested this was an official visit rather than a social call.

“Princess Lucy,” Matthias said, offering a respectful bow that somehow managed to convey both sympathy and political calculation. “We came as soon as we heard about the attacks. Please accept our condolences for what your family has endured.”

Lucy’s smile was sharp enough to cut glass. “How thoughtful of you to come so quickly. I suppose news travels fast in diplomatic circles.”

“The beast horde was visible from orbit,” Evangeline said diplomatically. “And when we couldn’t reach your father for our scheduled communication…”

“Of course.” Lucy’s tone suggested she was filing away every word for later analysis. “I trust you’ll keep any… speculation… about the situation to yourselves. We’re still assessing the full extent of the damage.”

Matthias stepped forward slightly, his expression growing more serious. “Actually, that’s part of why we’re here. The people need to hear from their king. Between the beast attack and the obvious signs of conflict at the palace… rumors are already spreading. A public statement would go a long way toward maintaining stability.”

Lucy studied him carefully, and Noah could see her calculating behind her eyes. The Sterlings clearly knew something had happened at the palace, but they didn’t seem to know the full extent—particularly about her father’s kidnapping. That could be useful.

“You’re right,” Lucy said finally. “A statement would be appropriate. But first, I need to discuss that arrangement we talked about earlier. The investors from off-world, your need for a suitable companion…”

Matthias’s eyebrows rose with interest. “Of course. Though I believe Lucas already had access to our archives for his research.”

“Lucas saw what Evangeline allowed him to see,” Lucy replied smoothly. “I need access to everything. The complete historical records, the sealed files, the documents your family has kept classified for generations.”

“That’s… a significant request,” Matthias said carefully. “What exactly are you prepared to offer in return?”

Lucy stepped closer to him, close enough that their conversation became private despite the crowded command center. She leaned in and whispered something in his ear, her voice too low for anyone else to hear. Whatever she said made Matthias’s face go through several shades of red before settling on a sickly green.

“I… yes,” he stammered, stepping back slightly. “That would be… acceptable terms.”

Lucy turned back to the others with a satisfied smile. “Excellent. We’ll adjourn later today to discuss the matters of mutual concern. I trust you can find your way back to your transport?”

After the Sterlings left, looking somewhat shell-shocked, the team gathered around one of the smaller briefing tables to discuss their next moves. The command center hummed with activity around them, but their corner felt like an island of tense planning in the sea of crisis management.

“There’s no way an attack like that happened just because these people were strong or clever,” Noah said, his voice tight with frustration. “For everything to go their way, for the timing to be that perfect… it’s impossible unless they had inside information.”

He looked around the table, meeting each of their eyes. “Which means we have a mole. Someone with access to our security protocols, our response patterns, our defensive weaknesses.”

“Could be anyone,” Diana mused. “Chief advisors, servants, even members of the guard. The kind of information they’d need could come from multiple sources.”

“I’m not sure that’s the best approach right now,” Lucy said, though her tone suggested she was thinking it through rather than dismissing it outright. “The palace staff is already on edge. If the king can disappear from his own chambers, what does that mean for their safety? Start grilling people about their loyalty, and you’ll have panic on your hands.”

“But we can’t just ignore the possibility,” Lyra countered. “From a practical standpoint, finding the leak should be our highest priority. Every moment we delay gives them more time to feed information to our enemies.”

Noah sighed, running his hands through his hair. “I’m with Lyra on this one. I know it’s not ideal, but the alternative is operating blind while someone potentially sabotages every move we make.”

As they debated the merits of different investigative approaches, Kelvin had grown unusually quiet. He sat facing away from the group, his cybernetic arms resting on the table, but his attention was clearly elsewhere. His eyes had taken on a familiar green tint, and his fingers were making subtle twitching motions that the others had learned to associate with his technopathic abilities at work.

“Kelvin?” Sophie asked. “You still with us?”

He held up one hand without turning around, a gesture that meant he was deep in whatever system he’d managed to access. The green glow in his eyes intensified slightly, and Noah could see the micro-expressions crossing his face—concentration, surprise, then something that looked suspiciously like alarm.

After another moment, Kelvin blinked and turned back to the group. “Guys, I found something. Well, I had to hack through probably the second most advanced system I’ve ever encountered.” He glanced at Noah for just a moment, and Noah understood the unspoken reference to his own mysterious system that even Kelvin had never been able to penetrate or interact with.

“What did you find?” Lucas asked.

“Vex and your dad weren’t the only ones who went missing.” Kelvin’s expression was troubled. “Dominic Grey—your uncle, the one who was supposedly crazy—he’s no longer at the psychiatric facility where he was being held.”

Lucy’s face went through several colors before settling on furious red. “What?! Why wasn’t I informed that my uncle was released? Who authorized it? When did this happen?”

“Uh, there’s something else,” Kelvin said, raising his hands in a placating gesture as Lucy’s voice rose to a near shout.

“WHAT?!” Lucy snapped.

“Uncle Dom is currently in the palace. Like, right now. According to the internal sensors, he’s been here for about six hours.”

The silence that followed was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps and a voice that none of them had ever heard before.

“There are my two favorite nephews!”

They turned to see a man who looked like he’d been living rough for months, if not years. His clothes were tattered and stained, his hair was a wild tangle of gray and brown, and his beard looked like it had never met a razor. But his eyes—his eyes held the same electric blue as Lucas and Lucy, and there was an intelligence there that contradicted his disheveled appearance.

He spread his arms wide in a gesture of familial affection, grinning broadly at Lucas and Lucy. “Did you miss your old Uncle Dom?”

“Uncle Dominic?” Lucas stared at the man like he was seeing a ghost. Technically, he was since he never knew he had an uncle to begin with.

“How did you get out of the facility? How did you even get onto the palace grounds?”

“More importantly,” Lucy added, her voice still tight with anger, “why didn’t anyone tell us you were here?”

Uncle Dom’s grin widened. “Well, sweethearts, that’s a bit of a story. See, I had the most interesting dream last night. Bunch of masked fellows planning to attack the palace, burn the whole place down, make off with important people…” He scratched his beard thoughtfully. “Seemed like the kind of thing I should probably warn folks about, but the nurses at the facility weren’t exactly inclined to listen to the ravings of a madman.”

“So how did you get here?” Sophie asked, studying the strange man with professional curiosity.

“Bit four nurses on the ears and made a run for it,” Dom said cheerfully. “Surprisingly effective technique, by the way. People don’t expect ear-biting as an escape method.”

Noah exchanged glances with the others. The man certainly seemed unhinged, but there was something about his story that felt too convenient to ignore.

“Uncle Dom,” Lucas said carefully, “you look like you haven’t eaten or slept properly in days. Why don’t we get you cleaned up, find you some food, and then we can talk about—”

“Oh, I’ll get cleaned up in a minute,” Dom interrupted, waving dismissively. He took his seat, staring at everybody with a cheerful expression.

“Okay, I’m just going to say it. Is it just me or don’t you all think it’s strange that the moment your father disappears, his older brother suddenly shows up? The one who was supposed to inherit the throne before your dad?”

All eyes turned to Sophie, who had voiced the very concern that was probably on everyone’s mind. The timing was suspicious, almost impossibly so.

Dom chuckled at their expressions, the sound building into full laughter that echoed through the command center. Several staff members turned to look at the source of the commotion.

“Oh, you’re all so serious,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes. “Yes, the timing is suspicious. Yes, it looks bad for me. But here’s the thing—I didn’t escape because I suddenly got clever or lucky. I escaped because I had a vision of men attacking this place, and I had to warn you.”

He grew more serious, his manic energy settling into something that felt more focused. “The attack already happened, didn’t it? That’s why everyone looks like someone died. That’s why my dear sister-in-law isn’t here demanding explanations for my sudden appearance.”

Lucas sighed heavily. “Uncle Dom, we appreciate that you wanted to help, but we’re in the middle of a crisis here. Maybe you should go rest, get cleaned up, and we can discuss this later when—”

“So you don’t know yet,” Dom interrupted, his voice taking on a different quality entirely. “You think this is all recent, don’t you? You think the Eighth Ancestor just suddenly decided to make his move?”

The mention of the Eighth made everyone go still. How did this seemingly mad uncle know about their investigation?

“We know about the Eighth,” Lyra said carefully. “We know about the original betrayal, the seven families, all of it.”

Dom nodded slowly. “So you know the story. But do you know why? Do you understand what he’s actually trying to accomplish?”

He began pacing around their table, his movements becoming more animated as he spoke. “See, here’s what they didn’t tell you in the pretty family histories. The Eighth Ancestor didn’t disappear for a thousand years and suddenly come back. He’s been back for decades, maybe longer. And the reason you’re all just finding out now…”

Dom stopped pacing and looked directly at each of them in turn. “All seven houses knew. They’ve been in contact with him for years. There was an agreement—keep his return secret, help him get what he needs, and in exchange…” He trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air.

“In exchange for what?” Noah asked, though he was beginning to suspect he already knew the answer.

“The heads of each house,” Dom said simply. “One leader from each of the seven families. That was the price for keeping the secret. That was the price for avoiding open war.”

Kelvin’s eyes went wide with a kind of comic terror that would have been funny under different circumstances. “Wait, wait, wait. Are you telling me that my favorite king and dad-among-my-friends’-dads is about to be sacrificed to an angry old grandpa who’s been planning this family reunion for literally decades? Because that’s… that’s not exactly the retirement plan I was hoping for Mr. Damien!”

The absurdity of Kelvin’s phrasing in the face of such horrific revelations broke some of the tension, but it also crystallized the awful truth they were all beginning to understand. This wasn’t a recent crisis—it was the culmination of a plan that had been years in the making.

And they were already several steps behind.